On this the first day of fall, I'm putting the finishing touches on my packing set up and baking a few lbs of granola for the road. Since I last updated this blog, I have bicycled to Alabama where I worked on typing my journals over winter, then canoed the Mississippi River this summer. My upcoming adventure of 4000+ miles across the US will take place aboard La Tortuga, my 49cc Honda Ruckus. After 42k mi, I preformed a complete engine rebuild with new piston, rings, cam chain and seals, it is no longer leaking oil. Remarkably, the cylinder walls looked perfect and the crankcase was clean as a whistle inside. Many remaining components have been replaced over the years and I inspected the frame for cracks and damage. So far it has 400 miles on the rebuild and is returning 105 - 110 mpg.
With the freshly rebuilt engine, I feel comfortable heading out again on the bike. I have all the usual spare parts and tools for breakdowns yet have trimmed my load down in weight and heft. Having less gear that is multi-purpose is key. I'll have a small one man tent and hammock for sleeping in and hope to make it through the higher elevations before the end of October (thus the southern route). I'll try to keep my blog up to date here with stories and pictures from the road-less-traveled. Stay tuned!
4 Comments
Tracy
9/23/2016 08:08:52 pm
Looks Good Mike ..
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a
9/24/2016 09:54:19 am
<slaps forehead> Oh man, not AGAIN :-O
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Mathieu
9/27/2016 08:43:01 am
Mike, I love following your blog. It's amazing how far you can go when you're transportation and accommodations cost so little! I will be following this trip too from the comfort of my office but I'm working hard on joining you on the road someday... I have a plan! ;)
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mike
9/29/2016 11:27:12 am
Thanks Mathieu. I am looking forward to visiting friends and family in the south. although I've already been on this route before, things change and just one road over may make for an interesting ride. I'm headed to Washington state and taking the warmest route possible as fall sets in.
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Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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